Christmas for me, besides the obvious reason, is about memories and creating new memories for my son! One thing I remember growing up was making homemade Christmas ornaments with my mom and sisters using an old fashioned salt dough recipe. My mom was always such the crafter – and if it could be made by hand, she did it.

Here’s a fun and super easy salt dough recipe that you can use to make homemade Christmas ornaments! All you need is all-purpose flour, salt, water, and cookie cutters! Ohh, and cinnamon if you’d like to make them darker in color and smell yummy too! We make them both ways…with and without.

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup salt

1 and 1/2 cups warm water

Cinnamon (optional. Just start with a little and keep adding and mixing until you get the desired color.)

Directions:

Combine flour (and optional cinnamon) and salt together and mix well in a large mixing bowl. Then slowly add the warm water and mix with a large spoon. After I mix it as good as I can with the spoon, I go in with my hands mixing and kneading until it’s all soft and combined really well. Flour your workspace (I just put it straight on my counter) and then plop the dough onto the flour. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough flat until it’s about 1/8″ thick.

Start cutting shapes out with your cookie cutters. I have several that I’ve used that were my moms. Spray a cookie sheet with spray and place your cut out shapes on it, then use the end of a paper clip or a tooth pick to make holes where you want the ribbon or string placed. I kind of swirled the paper clip around until I got the hole as big as I wanted it.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until they’re hard. Let them cool, decorate with paint and then you can paint them with a clear coat to preserve them.

After they’ve dried, add some string or ribbon and decorate your tree. You could also use some ornament hooks if you have some leftover. I usually have a few in the bottom of the box that I keep all of my ornaments in.

**When you’re putting up your tree, ornaments, and decorations, make sure to put these in a nice dry place. They can mold if stored in a place with alot of moisture.

Today is the last day of our 12 Days of Christmas Desserts. If you’ve missed any of the previous recipes, no worries. You can find them all at the bottom of this post.

Baking is something we all do during the holidays and sugar cookies are one recipe that we make batches and batches of for Christmas. Amanda from The Kids Did It has a fantastic and super easy homemade frosting recipe to use. You can use it for your homemade sugar cookies or even refrigerated store bought cookies! Click here for the recipe!

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas!! As promised, here are all of the other recipes below, in our 12 Days of Christmas Desserts! Enjoy!

Today makes day #7 in our 12 Days of Christmas Desserts series. I already have a list of ingredients I need to buy to make some yummy sweet treats for Christmas. If you’ve missed the earlier recipes, no worries. You can find them all below, at the bottom of this post. Make sure to check them out and click on over to the ones that interest you!

This year, my friend Naomi, is trying something new. Since she works in the medical field and has to work this Christmas, she is looking forward to making this Homemade Pumpkin Bars with Candied Pecan Topping recipe. This is on the menu this year because it is a simple recipe and can easily be made ahead and then topped with whipped topping and candied pecans at the last minute. Not everyone in her house is a fan of pumpkin, so she will also be adding a peanut butter pie to make sure the kids are happy with the dessert options. Do you have a picky eater in your house? What type of desserts do they like for you to add to the menu?

Hey friends! We’re back again today with dessert recipe #6 in our 12 Days of Christmas Desserts! Have you found a few that you’re going to be mking for Christmas?! I sure hope so! If you’ve missed the previous days of desserts, no worries. You’ll find them all down at the bottom of this post.

Christmas is such a lovely time to get together with family and friends and enjoy a sweet treat, isn’t it? That’s why, for the first 12 days of December I’ve joined up with some blogging buddies to share our favourite holiday recipes! Come back each day from December 1st to 12th and check out all the yummy goodies we have for you.

Nothing says Christmas like cranberries and eggnog. Just the mention of them can put you in the holiday spirit! That’s why this Cranberry Eggnog Cheesecake recipe is an ideal festive dessert.

Creamy eggnog, slightly tart cranberries, crunchy crust, and just a hint of nutmeg make this a holiday recipe that’s sure to have them asking for more. Hop on over to Creative Cynchronicity to get the full recipe with options for cheesecake or cheesecake bars.

We’re back on day #5 of our 12 Days of Christmas Desserts! If you’ve missed any of the earlier posts, don’t worry. You can find them all below at the end of this post! You’ll be glad you found today’s……….

What would the holidays be without pie? Every holiday needs a good pie. Mandee at Raising My 5 Sons has been kind enough to share her Grandmother’s Pecan Pie recipe with us. Because Grandma’s Pecan Pie recipe is so easy to make and it is perfect for the holidays I really think you’ll enjoy it. For the full recipe visit Raising My 5 Sons so you can get step by step instructions along with photos.

We have 12 full days of Christmas Desserts, so be sure to check out the linky below for all of the amazing recipes that we’ve shared so far and make sure to check back tomorrow, because we’ll be sharing a brand new one!

I know that Christmas is the time of year that we all love to bake and make candy! At least I do!! I’m always on the hunt for a new recipe to try – so I am super excited!! I have joined up with some of my amazing blog friends to bring you 12 Days of Christmas Desserts!! Each day I will be sharing a new dessert that you can add to your “arsenal”.

Make sure to come back each day over the course of the next 12 days to find a brand new recipe!

The first one up, is this yummy recipe for NO BAKE chocolate chip cookie dough balls from Janell at Saving You Dinero! You do not want to miss this one….it’s sure to be a hit and best yet, it’s a no-bake dessert!

Every fall when it starts cooling off and I’m spending a bit more time in the kitchen, I start looking for more recipes to make. Hearty “stick to your bones” recipes. This recipe and photo have been provided by eMeals. If you’re not familiar with them, let me tell you why I love them and then I’ll share the recipe below.

First of all, eMeals creates my weekly meal plan and shopping list FOR me. Yes. Yes, they do! That way I never get in a rut with dinnertime ideas and I don’t have to stress out about looking to and fro’ for new recipes to add to our menu. If you didn’t know by now, menu planning saves a TON of money! Yes, yes it does! eMeals offers many different meal plan options. You can choose from the classic meal plan, paleo, gluten free, vegan and several more.

They create meals based on foods and produce that are IN season at the time. Because they actually “get” that in season is less expensive than out of season. They also use common ordinary ingredients. Not weird things you’ve never heard of, ha! I chose Walmart as my store to shop from and they prepare my grocery list based on Walmart’s prices. You can opt for Walmart, Kroger, Target, Aldi, Publix, Whole Foods and more!

Their year’s subscription is just $5 per month!! That works out to roughly just $1.25 a week!! That is totally worth the time I don’t have to worry about spending on coming up with a menu plan on my own AND having to work up a grocery list! Love, love LOVE eMeals and I highly recommend using them!

Turkey Bacon Meatballs Recipe

Ingredients

4 slices bacon

2 lb lean ground turkey

1 (8-oz) package sliced fresh mushrooms, finely chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 T Italian seasoning

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 T coconut oil

2 (14.5-oz) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes

Instructions

Place bacon on a paper towel-lined plate; microwave on HIGH 1½ to 2 minutes or until crisp. Crumble bacon. Combine ground turkey, bacon, mushrooms, onion, Italian seasoning and egg; shape mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Heat oil in a large deep nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook meatballs 4 minutes or until browned and no longer pink in centers, stirring frequently. Remove from skillet, and keep warm. Add tomatoes to skillet; bring to a boil, and simmer 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add meatballs to pan; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Recipe Serves 6

Turkey Bacon Meatballs in Tomato Sauce Recipe

Author: Jenni

Ingredients

4 slices bacon

2 lb lean ground turkey

1 (8-oz) package sliced fresh mushrooms, finely chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 T Italian seasoning

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 T coconut oil

2 (14.5-oz) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes

Instructions

Place bacon on a paper towel-lined plate; microwave on HIGH 1½ to 2 minutes or until crisp. Crumble bacon.

What are some of your favorite dishes when it starts getting cold outside?

I promise I am not trying to rush things when I say I’m thinking about the coming holidays and things like candy canes. I recently picked up a peppermint mocha flavored coffee creamer and as I was drinking it I thought about how a frappe would be with this flavor! I picked up some extra ingredients and the perfect Peppermint Mocha Frappe was mine! Oh, and psst….have you seen all of our other frappe recipes?

Peppermint Mocha Frappe

Like our other frappe recipesyou’ll first want to pour the cold coffee into ice cube trays and let them freeze completely.

Add the frozen coffee and all the other ingredients to your blender or Frappe Maker.

Blend on high until all ingredients are crushed and smooth. Pour into a chilled glass and enjoy! This would be so good with a candy cane stir stick but candy canes haven’t hit the shelf here yet.

If you’re in the market for a blender, the links above will show you several that are available on Amazon. Make sure to read reviews on the models you’re interested in. There are many economical ones out there, however, if you’re looking to spend some money on a BEAST then you should check out the Ninja blender models, or even the Vitamix or Blendtec! Any of those will ROCK your SOCKS!!

What’s your favorite Frappe flavor?

This post is part of a 2-part series in partnership with Sverve and Farm Rich. All opinions are 100% my own.

This time of year, we are busier than ever. School events, church functions, meetings, errands, doctor appointments, holiday preparations and more…it’s a whirlwind around here sometimes. There are days that I don’t even know what day it is, much less whether I am coming or going. So I jumped at the chance to try the Farm Rich Smokehouse line of products at Walmart. These selections are priced at only $6.97 and you can grab a coupon for even more savings.

I am one who prefers fresh whole foods for my family. But, let’s be honest, sometimes the drive thru is the only thing we have time for. Now, you don’t have to sacrifice a healthy meal for lack of time. The Farm Rich Smokehouse Double Rubbed Dry Smoked Chicken is a frozen item you can feel good about keeping on hand to put in any meal to feed your family. That’s just what I did with this quick and easy chicken salad that I whipped up. Add a couple healthy sides, a little fruit and you have a fairly well rounded meal that most anyone will love. What’s the twist? I’ll reveal that in just a few minutes.

Because this is a quick and easy chicken salad, there really is no recipe. I don’t measure or do any of this carefully. I throw it together, put it on a bun and call it a day. Seriously. I don’t always have time to spend an hour (or more) on a meal. There are days when the microwave is my friend! This meal is one of those where the microwave saves the day. Here’s how I make this super yummy chicken salad using Farm Rich Smokehouse Double Rubbed Dry Smoked Chicken.

I had my son throw the chicken in the microwave and keep an eye on it. While he was handling that, I prepped the rest of my ingredients. Here’s the list…remember I didn’t measure.

1 package Farm Rich Smokehouse Double Rubbed Dry Smoked Chicken

Half a large red onion (chopped fine)

About 1/2 can of pineapple tidbits (well drained)

10-12 large grapes (cut into half or quarters)

About 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Your preferred brand of mayo

The chicken took around 6-7 minutes to cook. While that was going, I threw my onion into the food processor and pulsed it to a fine chop and tossed that in a mixing bowl. I drained a can of pineapple tidbits and cut up the grapes…there’s your twist…fruit! I grabbed my jar of garlic and scooped out a tablespoon full and added that to the mix.

While the chicken was cooling down, my son while he heated up some green beans and corn on the stove. He also had some seasoned French fries baking. See? Kids can be helpful…especially when it’s a teen boy and food is involved!

With the chicken no longer steaming hot, I tossed it in. Last, I added my homemade mayo. I do not know how much. I put in a few tablespoons and gave it all a good toss. It was still a little dry, for my liking, so I added more. It got a little taste test, at this point. It was perfect!! The right balance of savory and sweet with a little kick of heat from the dry rub. I didn’t add salt or any other seasoning. The dry rub that was already on the chicken was enough.

All in all, with the help of my son, dinner took about 15-20 minutes. For a family of four, that’s a feat! Even cold cut sandwiches take a while for four people! Try one of your own recipes with Farm Rich Smokehouse Double Rubbed Dry Smoked Chicken. All natural, pre-shredded. pre-cooked. Ready to use. Hassle free!

Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by Immaculate Baking through Platefull Co-Op. My opinions and my inability to stay out of the plate of brownies are all my own. #IBBakesWell

Ice Cream and Brownie Sandwiches

I’m not much of a cook. I leave that to the husband. But I do love to bake!! Give me some flour and chocolate chips, some peanut butter and sugar, and I’ll just bake up a storm! Immaculate Baking sent me some goodies to try awhile back and I ripped open a box of their brownie mix this weekend, and my ohhhh – my. We foundered on ice cream and brownie sandwiches! Oh, yes we did.

These brownies had everything that you want in a brownie and more! Fudgey, dense, chewy on the inside and crispy around the edges. Mmmm. Ohh ohhhh….and they had chocolate chips in there too! YES!!

Talk about completely ruining dinner! HA!! We ruined breakfast, lunch AND dinner with these babies! We seriously couldn’t quit eating them. I kept ducking my head into the freezer for more ice cream. There’s not an actual recipe here. Just plop some ice cream between two ginormous brownies and proceed with caution. And a fork. Yes…I suggest a fork!! A recipe can’t get much simpler than that!

In case you’ve never heard of Immaculate Baking, here’s a little FYI! They’re line of baking mixes are natural, with no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup. Their goodies range from natural, organic, non-GMO and gluten free! I could actually understand what all of the ingredients were on the brownie mix label, beginning with wheat flour!

The idea behind their brand is to enable you to “scratch bake” with ease. They use the same ingredients as you would when you bake from scratch without all the added fillers and preservatives! These brownies definitely lived up to the “from scratch” standard! All I had to add myself, were eggs and melted butter. You can find the Immaculate Baking brand in the baking aisle NOW at Target, whoop whooop!

For more awesome desserts and fun recipes, head over to our RECIPE BOX! There are tons of super easy and decadent recipes there! Some fan favorites include…

Now, you’ve been armed with all sorts of deliciousness! Make sure to come back again soon because we’re always adding more yummies to the blog!! Be sure to follow us on Pinterest too, for more yummy inspiration!

Follow Me!

Sweet Pennies Archives

Sweet Pennies Archives

the chick behind this blog! I'm your ordinary, everyday wife and mom to an incredible pair of stinky guys! I am a self diagnosed coffee addict with a ginormous sweet tooth, preferably baked goods!! My hope is to help you, teach you, and entertain you on your way to a more thrifty and frugal lifestyle! Along the way, you'll find awesome recipes, great tips, and tons of randomness! We have loads of fun, so ya'll come back now, ya hear?!